


The Direction of the Sun

by coolbyrne



Series: New Leaves [8]
Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-08 01:18:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18885193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolbyrne/pseuds/coolbyrne
Summary: Following up a hunch, Jane and Maura get lost in the woods.





	The Direction of the Sun

**Author's Note:**

> This reads like it's part of a larger story, especially as it ends with Jane and Ash rather than Jane and Maura. And one day, I might write a story around it. In the meantime, I think it stands alone fairly well. This is part of my own canon, which I've cobbled together as a series called "New Leaves", if you're unfamiliar with the original character of Ash Brooks. As always, this is for my map and compass, happycamper5, who is (kinda, sorta) patiently condoning my detour into NCIS fic. :)

Dry gravel crunched under the tires as the car came to a stop. The two occupants sat inside for a moment, not quite willing to relinquish the comfort of the air conditioning just yet. The summer had been unseasonably hot, and the sun shone down like a laser beam despite it being late in the afternoon. The only source of protection was the dense trees, the only hope for a reprieve was promise of the sun setting in the next three hours.

“Are we really doing this?” Maura asked, preemptively fanning herself.

“‘We’ don’t have to do anything,” Jane replied. “I told you you didn’t have to come with me.”

Maura rolled her eyes in a gesture Jane recognized all too well. “Yes. I’m going to let you come out to a crime scene in the middle of nowhere, alone.”

“Why is it when I complained about the murder being in the middle of nowhere, you corrected my geography?”

“Because I believe your language was a shade more colourful when describing ‘nowhere’.”

Jane smirked. “Got me there. Still, you didn’t have to come. I’ll be in and out of there in less time than it’ll take you to change your shoes.” She glanced down at Maura’s feet. “You did bring better shoes than those, right?”

Maura looked offended. “Of course I did. These are $400 shoes.”

“Yes, because that’s the reason you shouldn’t wear them through the forest.”

“Anyway,” Maura continued, “whether or not it’s been processed, it’s still considered a crime scene. Any evidence you may find needs to be carefully preserved.”

“Are you saying I don’t know how to maintain a scene? I’ve watched CSI, you know.” The smirk grew into a full blown smile when the comment got the exact reaction she was expecting. Maura’s mouth dropped and her face was a mixture of horror and insult. Before the doctor could muster a reply, Jane unclipped her seatbelt and reached for the door. “Let’s go. I want to be back before the sun goes down and the banjos start playing.”

“That was in Georgia,” Maura said, finding her voice at last. “This is Mendon.” The two slipped around the back of the car where Maura began pulling out her medical bag and boots. Using Jane’s offered arm for balance, she slipped off her shoes and slid her feet into the hiking footwear. 

“Those look suspiciously worn,” Jane remarked. “When have you gone hiking?”

Finishing the knots on both boots, Maura stood. “I go with Susie.”

“It’s not some naked hiking retreat, is it?”

“Yes, Jane. We hike in the nude. It’s very practical.”

Jane frowned. “I don’t like this new sarcasm thing you’re doing.”

“But I learned it from you.” She went on tiptoes to steal a quick kiss.

She hid her joy at the kiss by feigning displeasure at the comment. “If you get the water, I’ll bring the bag.”

The offer was met with a nod. “They’re not very cold,” Maura lamented. “I should have kept them in the backseat. The air conditioner might have helped.”

Jane shook her head. “You’d need an iceberg to keep those things cold.”

“It _has_ been unusually hot.”

“I’m hoping we’re not going to need it anyway. In and out in 30 minutes.”

…..

Thirty minutes passed before they realized they weren’t reaching their destination.

“I could’ve sworn it was closer to the car.”

“I was certain we took a hiking path.”

Both looked around the dense brush. “Maybe it just seemed closer because of the amount of people,” Jane speculated.

“Who might have created a temporary footpath,” Maura added.

“I followed Frankie’s directions to a T,” she said, holding up the hand drawn map.

The introduction of Frankie’s name made Maura pause. She held out her hand, gesturing for the map. “May I?”

Warily, Jane handed it over. “You’ll have to help me hide the body if Frankie fucked up.”

“Well, if we hide it based on this map, no one will ever find him.”

Clenching her jaw, Jane said, “He fucked up.” Maura’s slight nod was the only answer Jane needed. “Dammit!”

“He used the map that was laid out on the table,” Maura hypothesized. “Then at some point, he must’ve walked around the table and didn’t realize. He’s been putting a lot of hours into this case. It’s an honest mistake.”

Jane was having none of it. “He drew the map wrong! Now we’re stuck in the middle of-” She drew in a sharp breath. “Whatever. I should’ve used Google maps in the first place.” Unclipping her phone from her belt, she waited for the screen to light up. When it did, she didn’t like what she saw. Only Maura’s intervention saved the device from being hurled into the trees.

Carefully extracting it from Jane’s grasp, Maura glanced down. “‘No service available’,” she read aloud. “That can’t be right. We’re only an hour outside of Boston.” She took her own phone from the medical bag. 

Jane saw the look on her face and blew out a one-note laugh. “An hour outside of Boston, but 30 minutes into the land of the giant trees. We’d be lucky if aliens could abduct us in this.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t call alien abduction funny, Jane.”

“It’s a joke, Maura. Like us being without a working phone and no map.”

Maura took in her surroundings. “I suppose we could try to back track our steps? Try again tomorrow?”

“Yeah, with a real map,” Jane gritted out. She joined Maura by her side and they scanned the foliage. Surrounded by dense trees, they struggled to find their entry point. “It all looks the same.”

Glancing up, Maura said, “Two and a half hours until the sun goes down, but the height of these trees isn’t going to make it easy.”

Jane followed her glance. “You’re going to use the sun to get us out of here.” She stepped closer and lightly kissed her. “Have I ever told you you’re a genius?” she asked between the sliver of space between their lips.

Maura’s hands instinctively pulled Jane’s jacket, drawing them closer. “We’re going to be spending the night here if you keep that up.”

Jane swayed her hips into Maura’s. “Doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.”

Maura could only grin and shake her head.

…..

“You know, when I made that joke about spending the night here, that really was a joke.”

The euphoria of a possible escape was quickly swept aside by a clash of wills. Despite Maura’s scientific assurance that the sun wasn’t moving around just to piss Jane off, the detective was adamant they were going the wrong way. And when the headstrong woman began stomping in the opposite direction, Maura’s resolve lasted five minutes before she followed. Even if she didn’t agree with Jane, she knew the last thing they needed was to be lost _and_ separated.

Maura’s reply to Jane’s complaint was a noncommittal hum but nothing more.

Jane sighed loudly. “Really, Maura? I said I was sorry.”

“Did you?” she asked, letting the question hang between them before saying, “Joke or not, it looks like that’s exactly what we’ll be doing. That batch of trees will make a good lean-to.”

Jane replayed the last 40 minutes in her head and recalled everything but an apology. She hung her head in shame until Maura’s last words reached her brain. “Lean-to? Oh, no. We are not staying here overnight.”

Maura paused in her collecting of small branches and sticks. Turning with an armful, she asked, “So what do you suggest, Jane? Should we traipse through an unknown territory in the dark? We’ve had such luck doing so in the light!”

Jane recoiled. The sharpness in Maura’s tone was a slap in the face. “I… wow… okay. What do you need me to do?”

“We need to make a fire. The days are hot but the nights have been below seasonal normals.”

“I can do that.” She began clearing a small area with her boots until she reached dirt. “This’ll be just like that survival challenge. Remember? ‘Weeeeee are the champions, my friend!’” Jane began to warble. I bet you’ve got petroleum jelly in your kit. We’ll slap that on some gauze and light it up.” She paused. “Tell me you have some kind of fire starter thing, right?”

Maura knelt at her medical bag. “Matches. Not waterproof, but-”

“I did mention you’re a genius, right? I do remember that.” She looked at Maura until she met her gaze with an inquisitive eyebrow. “I don’t remember an apology, though. So… I’m sorry, Maura. You’re a genius. I’m just an ass.”

Standing, Maura hooked her pinky finger with Jane’s. “You’re not an ass.”

Jane’s eyes narrowed, searching for clues. “Hmmm. I don’t see the hives, so you must be telling the truth.”

Maura laughed. “I am. You’re not an ass. You’re just incredibly stubborn, and when you have your mind set on something, that’s it. That’s what makes you a great detective. But it can make your personal moments… difficult.”

“You dug that out of your thesaurus pretty quick,” Jane praised. Before Maura could protest, she added, “I get it. I do. And I’ll work on it. If I don’t learn my lesson today, I’ll never learn, right?”

Maura raised up on her toes to kiss her. “Perhaps you could also teach Frankie how to draw a map?”

The reminder of why they were there made Jane growl. “Ma’s gonna need GPS to find his body.”

“Well, let’s hope Detective Brooks uses it to find us.”

It took Jane a minute and another armful of sticks before the words hit her brain. “Wait. What?”

“I told Ash what we were doing. I’m certain he can extrapolate what's happened and where we might be when we don’t show up.”

“You told him what we were doing?”

“Yes,” she replied, puzzled. “Was that wrong?”

“No. I just didn't think of telling anyone.” 

The fact that she, a seasoned detective, wouldn’t think to tell someone their whereabouts, made her mentally berate herself. Seeing Jane’s silent self-flagellation brought Maura’s hand to the detective’s cheek. 

“Frankie isn't the only one who's been working extra hours on this case.”

“I can just see the headline now,” Jane continued, in full rant mode. “ _‘Country's Top Medical Examiner and All-Around Amazing Woman Dead Because of Two Dummy Siblings’_.”

“Oh, Jane,” Maura whispered, “they won’t be able to fit all that in a headline.” She took advantage of Jane’s shocked expression to drop a kiss on her lips. “We can only wait until he realises something’s wrong or morning comes, whichever is first. In the meantime, we really do need to finish setting up our site.”

They were able to put everything together well under the two hours they had remaining and now sat on their makeshift seats. The lean-to blocked the wind from the north and the fire flickered, comforting and warm.

“All things considered, this isn't too bad,” Jane confessed, enjoying the feel of Maura curling into her side. “All we need are some weiners. “

Maura wrinkled her nose. “Why?”

“You’ve never roasted hot dogs over a fire.”

Though it was more of a statement than a question, Maura answered. “No.”

“It’s a camping tradition. Like s’mores.”

Maura remembered their survival challenge. “Oh! I love s’mores!”

The almost childlike delight in her voice made Jane smile, though part of her, as always, was sad Maura had missed out on so much. 

“Next time, we’ll do this right,” Jane promised. “S’mores, hot dogs, a tent and a sleeping bag to get naked in.”

The last item, so unexpected from the otherwise reticent detective, made Maura burst out laughing.

“What?” Jane asked, pretending to be serious. “Even I know about body heat and naked people. I did read that Les Stroud book, you know.”

Maura snuggled in closer. “All things considered,” she said, repeating Jane’s earlier words, “this isn’t too bad.”

The sound of a gun being cocked nearby quickly put an end to the sentiment.

…..

“Stay right where you are,” a voice ordered. Leaves crackled under their feet as they slowly came around the shelter. The fire and low light revealed the face of a woman and the barrel of a rifle. “You’ve got 30 seconds to explain yourselves before I call the police.”

Jane almost laughed at the irony, but the woman’s expression made her swallow the response. Instead, giving the woman the respect holding a gun gave her, Jane calmly said, “We are the police, Ma’am.” She squeezed Maura, hoping to stop the correction she knew was on her lips. “I’ve got a badge.”

The woman narrowed her eyes but pointed the gun away. “Let’s see it.”

Slowly, Jane untangled herself from Maura, pushed aside her jacket and revealed the gold badge on her belt. “Detective Jane Rizzoli, Boston Homicide. This is Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Maura Isles.”

“Okay,” the woman said, satisfied with the information, “that answers one question.”

“We’re investigating the suspected homicide that happened 2 days ago,” Jane replied, anticipating the second question.

“We just wanted to make sure we had covered every angle,” Maura added.

The woman slowly nodded. “The Coates murder in the Valley.”

“Yes.”

“The murder that happened 3 miles up that way.” She jerked her head into the woods, in the opposite direction from where they came.

Jane dug into her pocket and thrust a crumpled piece of paper in the woman’s direction. “Some idiot gave me this map.”

Tentatively, she unfolded it, examined it, turned it upside down and examined it again. A bubble of laughter escaped her lips. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m really sorry. This is-” She couldn’t finish.

“A good defense in court when I murder the idiot?” Jane asked rhetorically. “‘Cause that’s what I’m thinking.”

“Margaret James,” the woman introduced, handing the map back to Jane and shaking her hand. “Hope I didn’t scare you with the gun. It’s not loaded. Usually enough to run the kids off when they decide to party.”

“Out here?” Maura asked. “In the middle of nowhere?”

Margaret’s mouth twitched. “Dr. Isles, was it? You’re 100 yards from the highway. Once it got dark, you would’ve seen my house lights from here.”

Jane’s face reddened. “I really am going to kill him.”

“Forget it,” Margaret said. “Why don’t you two follow me? I’ll whip you up some coffee and maybe a bite to eat. Where are you parked?”

“Nesbitt Road,” Maura replied.

The woman’s eyebrows shot up, though she had the good grace not mention it was on the other side of the woods. Instead, she glanced at their camp site. “I only teach history, but I’d give that lean-to an A-plus.”

Maura beamed as Jane put out the fire.

…..

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Jane assured her partner. “Just lost track of time.”

“You mean, you got lost,” Ash said.

“We did not get lost. Oh, signal’s breaking up, can’t--talk--see--tomorr-” She hit ‘end’ and pocketed her phone. Seeing the bemused expressions of Margaret and Maura, Jane shrugged. “What?”

“Is he the one on borrowed time?” Margaret asked.

Shaking her head, Jane replied, “No. That was my partner. He has many faults- so many faults-” She ignored Maura’s eyeroll. “But directions aren’t one of them. My brother, on the other hand, obviously doesn’t know north from south. Which is funny, because when I’m done with him, he won’t know up from down.”

Maura touched Jane’s arm. “It was an honest mistake. Besides, this is some of the best coffee I’ve had in ages.” She turned to their host and smiled.

Jane lifted her cup in agreement. “Thanks.”

Margaret tipped her head in response. “If you don’t mind, I have something else to give you.” She disappeared out of sight for a moment before returning with an outstretched hand.

“A map,” Jane said. “A real one.”

Margaret laughed. “Well, in your brother’s defense, this is something a bit more. This is a copy of the local map. Harry Bennington from the other side of the valley was a pretty good cartographer back in the day and he still makes these maps every other year or so.” 

She moved the salt and pepper shakers and lifted her mug, encouraging Jane to open it on the table. When it was spread flat, Maura leaned over for a better look.

“This is incredibly detailed,” she marvelled. 

“When I said this is the local map, I mean, this is for the locals. Every little footpath, every creek and stream, no matter how small, every marker that means something to the history of the area. All the things that don’t make it on the official map.”

Jane ran her fingertips over the soft paper. “This is great,” she said, echoing Maura’s sentiment. She tapped a section crosshatched in blue. “What’s this?”

Margaret peered closer. “Gabe’s Steps. They’ve been there since I can remember, and I’ve been here for over 40 years.”

“They’re-” Jane checked the scale and did some quick math. “Less than half a mile from where the body was found. Why wasn’t that in the crime scene report?” She looked at Maura, though she knew it wasn’t in her responsibilities to know.

Margaret answered for her. “They’re not officially ‘steps’,” she explained. “They’re just indentations in the cliffside from years of locals using them as a shortcut across the valley.”

“If you don’t know they’re there, you wouldn’t think to look,” Jane guessed.

“Exactly.”

Both Maura and Jane came to the same conclusion at the same time.

“Which means the person responsible for killing Jamie O’Connor-”

“-is someone who knew the area,” Jane finished.

“You two do this a lot, I take it.” Margaret smiled at their synchronicity.

“Only one or a million times.” Jane returned the smile with one of her own. “Do you mind if we take this map?”

“It’s all yours.”

As she began folding it, Jane said to Maura, “We can come back tomorrow. With this real map. If we’re lucky, we’ll find something on steps or the top of the cliff.” To Margaret, she said, “Not only did you save us from spending the night in the woods, but you might have just given us the lead we need.”

“I’m sure the night out wouldn’t have been so bad.” She slyly looked between them. “But I’m glad to have helped.”

Jane fought the blush that threatened to creep up her neck. She was still caught off-guard when someone recognized her relationship with Maura, if only because, even after all this time, she was still getting used to it herself. 

Their host saved her by saying, “Should I give you ladies a ride back to your car?”

Jane acknowledged the diversion by raising her cup in thanks before downing the rest of the coffee. "That'd be great. We'll get back to Boston with plenty of time for me to plan a murder."

…..

The envelope on her desk bore her name in her partner's familiar scrawl. Dropping into her chair, Jane looked across the adjoining desks. Yawning away the clutches of the morning, she asked, "What's this?"

Brooks looked up from his work and peered over his reading glasses. "I'm guessing if you look inside, you might figure it out."

"Ha ha. Nice glasses, by the way."

The barb rolled off his back. "Susie says they make me look like a professor. Figured anything that makes me look smart couldn’t hurt."

Jane grinned. It had taken a long time to accept him as a new partner, to not compare him to Frost. The road hadn't been a smooth one, but they had finally come to a point where she could look beyond the past and find common ground. His self-deprecating humour had been one of the first things in his favour. Picking up the envelope, she pushed back the flap and took out a single piece of paper. Her brows went down as her eyes scanned the words.

"A week of camping up at Sweetwater Forest," he said. "If you don't want to use all 7 days, me and Susie will use the rest."

She knew it was meant as a joke because of the previous night and no doubt in large part to Maura sharing her enthusiasm of the experience with Susie, but she tipped her head. "Thanks, Ash."

He blinked several times behind his glasses. "You know, the jokes don't work if it's something the person actually likes."

Grinning, she said, "Joke's on you- I happen to love camping. And I bet I can get Maura to love it, too."

A smirk spread across his face. "Oh, I have no doubt you'll find something to do that she'll love."

"Pig." She slipped the paper back into the envelope and into her desk, but not before giving him one last nod. "You up for going back to Mendon?"

"Sure." He slipped his glasses into his breast pocket. "I've got boots in my locker. You've got a real map?"

She took it out of her back pocket and waved it. "Speaking of real maps and those who don't have one- you seen Frankie?"

"Funny you should put it that way," he said, standing. "I told him you needed him to do a follow up on the suspect in Norwood."

"You found something on him?"

"God, no," Brooks scoffed. "I double checked that alibi. He was in an office meeting with 23 other people. Which Frankie will find out." He waited for an appropriate beat. "Once he finds the place."

Realization began to dawn on her face. "What did you do?"

He patted his pockets to make sure he had everything. "Me? I didn't do anything. You know I don't know shit about computers. But those guys in BRIC? Apparently, it's _incredibly_ easy to hack a phone's GPS." His look was one of total innocence. "Ready to go?"

She was gobsmacked and amused in equal measure. "You're a genius."

"Maybe it _is_ the glasses!"

She slapped his shoulder. "Susie'll be thrilled. Let's go, partner."

…..

-end


End file.
